Articles are listed in
alphabetical order by state within each category, so you can easily scan through
the articles for those within your state or other states in which you have an
interest. Internationalarticles
are near the end. The categories are:Abuse
and Neglect, Laws & Legislation, Statistics and Studies, Improved Supports,International,and sometimes,
Miscellaneous.

Check the categories below
for a guide to types of abuse. The categories are indicated by type, and the
number of the article.

Check the categories below for a guide to types of abuse. The categories
are indicated by type, and the number of the article.

Discrimination: 15
(alleged maltreatment and termination of worker with Asperger’s);75

Guardianship:42, 59

ADA/Access: 21; 24; 61; 76

Healthcare: 29 (health
risks for those with developmental disabilities);30; 31 (prescriptions of
antipsychotics ubiquitous for those with I/DD but without the conditions for
which they are intended); 62: scalp acupuncture improves speech & social
interaction (study finds).

1.“Autistic boy wanders away from Mesa school; school doesn't notice.” The
mother of a son with special needs is outraged after her son wandered away from
his east Mesa school and no one noticed. ---abc15.com, October 12 (Arizona)
https://is.gd/G0t1Km

2.“Delaware mom claims autistic son was assaulted at middle school by a
teacher.” Delaware State Police are investigating an incident at Seaford Middle
School where a mom claims her special needs son was assaulted by a teacher. ---
wdel.com, October 13 (Delaware) https://is.gd/NpN2G5

3.“Couple accused of neglecting elderly and disabled granted bond.” A
couple accused of neglecting disabled and elderly adults in a number of
unlicensed personal care homes and one licensed home were granted bond Friday.
---
chronicle.augusta.com,
October 13 (Georgia) https://is.gd/pCzlvA

4.“Parents say their autistic child was restrained with wooden partitions
at LaPorte school.” A LaPorte County couple this week accused their 7-year-old
daughter's school of using a wooden structure to restrain the 2nd-grader, who
has autism, without her parents' permission or knowledge. ---
southbendtribune.com, October 15 (Indiana) https://is.gd/nxTvtz

5. “Driver left autistic child alone on school bus for 4 hours, cops say.”
A bus driver has been charged with leaving a 9-year-old autistic child on a
school bus for four hours Thursday, according to authorities. ---nj.com, October
13 (New Jersey) https://is.gd/YFczGv

7.“Two charged over death of Webster group home resident.” Two women have
been charged over the death of a resident at a Webster group home in June.
According to authorities, 60-year-old Sandra Abdo and 25-year-old Sarah DiLallo
were charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of an elderly or
incompetent person the death of 35-year-old Heather Roselli, a resident of a
group home on Pierce Street in Webster. --- whec.com, October 12 (New York)
https://is.gd/EzUjRM

8.“Police investigating after group home patient allegedly sexually
assaulted another patient during trip.” Police are investigating after they say
a male patient sexually assaulted another patient during a trip from a group
home. ---kfor.com, October 16 (Oklahoma) https://is.gd/HdbD8I

11.“Kerrville man accused of killing nephew: ‘I did not do this’.” Their
grandson Dayvid Pakko’s disappearance Monday on the West Coast was naturally
worrisome, but nothing could prepare Randy and Whitney Henckel for the
subsequent news that his body had been found in a trash bin and their son Andrew
was accused of killing him. ---mysanantonio.com, October 18 (Texas) https://is.gd/cojsl3

12.“Body of missing autistic Seattle-area boy found in dumpster; relative in
custody.” The body of a missing suburban Seattle boy with autism was found in a
dumpster early Tuesday, and a teen relative is in custody, reports CBS affiliate
KIRO. ---ktvq.com, October 17 (Washington) https://is.gd/7v7swg

13.“'Asperger's' uncle, 19, confesses to drowning six-year-old autistic
nephew in a bathtub and disposing of his body in a dumpster.” The uncle of a
six-year-old boy whose body was found in a dumpster in his Lynnwood, Washington
apartment complex on Tuesday has confessed to his murder. ---dailymail.co.uk,
October 19 (Washington) https://is.gd/Lb6K3h

LAWS
& LEGISLATION

14.“Do better: Parents of students with disabilities call on SBOE for more
representation.” The message from parents of special needs students to the
Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) was clear and in large print across
specially-designed T-shirts Thursday. “Do better.” ---montgomeryadvertiser.com,
October 12 (Alabama) https://is.gd/VXVv15

15.“Asperger’s lawsuit moving toward resolution.” A federal lawsuit against
Camden County for alleged illegal mistreatment and termination of a former
cooperative extension worker, who has Asperger’s syndrome, could be resolved by
the end of the month. ---brunswicknews.com, October 17 (Georgia) https://is.gd/RVuu93

16.“Special Ed Program An Unconstitutional ‘Dumping Ground,’ Suit Claims.”
Georgia uses its unique network of psychoeducational schools as a “dumping
ground” for unwanted students with disabilities, a new class-action lawsuit
claims. ---disabilityscoop.com, October 16 (Georgia) https://is.gd/94AkA3

17.“ACLU wants Idaho to restrict death penalty.” A University of Idaho law
professor and a group of advocates want to see Idaho pass rules that would
prevent the mentally ill and juveniles from being subjected to the death
penalty. ---spokesman.com, October 18 (Idaho) https://is.gd/GiYZ9X

18.“Abusive caregivers are shooting degrading photos, so why can't patients
use cameras to protect themselves?.” When the family of 82-year-old Cheryll
Scherf grew concerned about the care she was receiving at the Elkader Care
Center, they decided to install a motion-activated camera in her room. ---desmoinesregister.com,
October 19 (Iowa) https://is.gd/Fsaig5

19.“Federal judge: county liable for handcuffed kids.” A federal judge says
it was unreasonable for a Kentucky sheriff's deputy to handcuff two unruly
elementary school students and says the county government is liable for the
officer's conduct. ---paducahsun.com, October 15 (Kentucky) https://is.gd/QMA82F

22.“How a convicted murderer (and others) slipped past group home background
checks.” Nearly eight percent of workers hired to take care of people with
developmental disabilities have evaded a state law requiring they undergo a
criminal background check, according
to a report Tuesday
by the Office of the State Auditor. ---nj.com, October 18 (New Jersey) https://is.gd/EvGBAS

23.“LEGISLATION COULD PROVIDE MORE FUNDING TO ADULT HOME CARE PROVIDERS IN
EXCHANGE FOR QUALITY OF CARE IMPROVEMENTS.” Adult home care providers are urging
Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill that would increase subsidies for those who
house and care for seniors and adults with disabilities. Advocates for residents
say any subsidy boost should be tied to additional oversight measures to guard
against excessive salaries for facility managers, poor quality programs and
fiscal mismanagement. ---cityandstateny.com, October 19 (New York) https://is.gd/FizI7l

25.“Federal appeals court removes obstacle to litigation for students with
disabilities.” The enduring legacy of the now-defunct Walter D. Palmer Charter
School may be a significant federal appeals court ruling this month that could
remove an important impediment from parents seeking an appropriate education for
their children who have special needs. thenotebook.org, October 19
(Pennsylvania) https://is.gd/IUFVqZ

26.“Aging, disabled consumers may be clueless about state's new long-term
care program.” Libby Powers, a 29-year-old disability rights counselor born with
spina bifida, understands the state’s pending Community Health Choices program
better than most of the other 80,000 southwestern Pennsylvanians soon to be
affected by it. --- post-gazette.com, October 16 (Pennsylvania) https://is.gd/nJnHua

28. “Studies send mixed messages on antidepressants’ link to autism.”
Antidepressants slightly boost the risk of autism and other brain conditions. Or
they don’t, and it’s really factors related to the mother’s mental health that
pose the risk ---spectrumnews.org, October 16 https://is.gd/HwGbwV

29. “Successful treatment for advanced stage testicular cancer in down
syndrome patients.” Research by Jue Wang, MD, at the University of Arizona
Cancer Center at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center on
"Delay in Diagnosis of Testicular Cancer in a Patient with Down Syndrome" was
published in the October issue of Journal of Cancer and Therapeutic Science. ---
eurekalert.org, October 13 (Arizona) https://is.gd/RUcFnH

30.“Adverse childhood experiences a real public health issue.” Suzy is a
young mother who is living on her own with two small children. She does not want
to see her family, as her father left when she was young and her stepfather is
an alcoholic and sexually abused her as a child. Her mother has significant
mental health issues. --- chieftain.com, October 14 (Colorado) https://is.gd/3Re2cq

31. “Time to stop over-prescribing antipsychotics to adults with
developmental disabilities.” A recent study has shown that a large number of
developmentally disabled adults prescribed antipsychotics do not have the
diagnoses for which these drugs are approved. This is a concern because these
drugs can lead to serious health issues. --- thestar.com, October 13 (Canada)
https://is.gd/k9M0Ki

32.“REVEALED: 100 old people injured in care homes every day - shock
report.” MORE than 100 vulnerable older people are suffering serious injuries in
care homes across the country every day, shocking figures show. ---express.co.uk,
October 16 (UK) https://is.gd/3ExLrP

IMPROVED SUPPORTS

33.“Tommy Hilfiger is making clothes easier to wear for people with
disabilities.” Tommy Hilfiger has a new line of clothes for an often overlooked
set of customers -- people with disabilities. The collection, which goes on sale
Wednesday, uses magnets and Velcro to make it easier for people to get dressed.
The line has 37 styles for men and 34 for women -- shirts, pants, jackets,
sweaters and dresses. --- money.cnn.com, October 18 https://is.gd/Fuz2D9

34.“Parents of kids with special needs urge others: Teach your child
compassion.” Stacey and Darren Gagnon have six children, four of them with
special needs. When they encourage other parents to teach their kids about
kindness, they speak from the heart — and personal experience. ---today.com,
October 19 https://is.gd/qhdPmI

35.“How an Anchorage school is using ‘Frito pies’ to teach job skills to
special-ed students.” Service High School student Kameron Matthews took orders
from behind a metal cash box Friday afternoon and directed his customers to the
"Frito Pie Friday" fare. --- adn.com, October 16 (Alaska) https://is.gd/aFRHYR

36. “Special education funding gap squeezes Arizona classrooms.”
Underfunding of federally mandated special education services for public school
students, coupled with a growing number of students with more severe
disabilities, is straining general classroom spending in Arizona’s public
schools. --- azednews.com, October 12 (Arizona) https://is.gd/mRej57

37.“People with disabilities want to work.” October is National Disability
Employment Awareness month, this year’s theme is Inclusion Drives Innovation and
today community members met to discuss employment awareness. ---
kiem-tv.com,
October 12 (Florida) https://is.gd/o4q8Ny

39.“Iowa schools use solitary confinement as punishment, and this is not
ok.” A controversial new type of punishment has been making the rounds through
Iowa schools during the last year. Tiny pine boxes with little to no light or
ventilation, called “seclusion enclosures” are designed to confine children
while disciplining them. --- scarymommy.com, October 12 (Iowa) https://is.gd/N1sizO

40.“Chicago's Jewish Community Unites To Be More Inclusive Of People With
Disabilities.” There's a verse from the biblical prophet Isaiah carved into the
walls of many synagogues: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all
people." These wall inscriptions are a reminder to be welcoming to everyone. ---npr.org,
October 15 (Illinois) https://is.gd/TkkDnQ

41. “Handicapped drivers must pay for parking in Mount Vernon beginning Oct.
30.” Drivers with disabilities will be required to pay for parking in
Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood beginning Oct. 30 — the fourth expansion
of the city’s ProjectSPACE program, designed to combat the abuse of disability
placards. ---baltimoresun.com, October 16 (Maryland) https://is.gd/cwLzNH

42.“Michigan families speak out about losing loved ones to guardianship.”
For months, the 7 Investigators have been digging into the guardianship system
in Metro Detroit. On Thursday night, we showed you how a local woman says that
due to a court-appointed guardian, she can’t make any medical or financial
decisions for her aging parents. --- wxyz.com, October 13 (Michigan) https://is.gd/6IxpM4

43.“Grand Forks social services leader denies misconduct in child protective
services.” The leader of the Grand Forks County social services office has
rejected claims that the local Child Protective Services office mishandled cases
of possible child abuse or neglect. --- grandforksherald.com, October 15
(Michigan) https://is.gd/8sakXd

45.“Entrepreneur with Down syndrome builds $1.3 million business selling
socks.” A 21-year-old entrepreneur with Down syndrome has built a $1.3 million
business selling socks, according
to Fox Business.
---theblaze.com, October 17 (New York) https://is.gd/VRLKH6

46.“Father of Autistic Child Deported From U.S.” The father of a child with
severe autism has been deported to his native Bangladesh following a plea for
more time to stay in the United States to arrange for his daughter’s care. ---nbcnews.com,
October 19 (New York) https://is.gd/LKCri8

47.“This family of an autistic child waited in the hospital ER over 200
hours. Here’s why.” Natania Barron and Michael Harrison waited 255 hours in the
emergency room before their autistic son Liam, 11, was finally placed in a
program that could provide the psychiatric care he needed. ---heraldsun.com,
October 17 (North Carolina) https://is.gd/JLuank

48.“Why Did An Adult Care Home Accused Of Prostitution Get A 4-Star Rating
From The State?” Carolina Public Press has spent the past year investigating
adult care homes across North Carolina, and it found a lack of consistency and
accountability across the board in how these centers are evaluated. ---http://wunc.org,
October 18 (North Carolina) https://is.gd/AL1yBU

49. “Autism research on Puerto Rico island threatened by hurricane
aftermath.” Autism research suffered a significant setback after an island used
for scientific study was ravaged by Hurricane Maria. --- cnn.com, October 13
(Puerto Rico) https://is.gd/7vAAVy

50.“Special card will improve communication for deaf people during traffic
stop.” Memphis Police Department is working to improve relationships with the
deaf community. --- wmcactionnews5.com, October 12 (Tennessee) https://is.gd/GgHmYZ

51.“Fairview father urges police training for interaction with autistic,
mentally disabled.” People are often urged to call police when they see
suspicious behavior, but one Fairview father wants to make sure those police
are trained to know the difference between suspicious behavior and the actions
of a developmentally disabled child or adult ---tennessean.com, October 19
(Tennessee) https://is.gd/HxRChd

52. “Access Denied: How Texas Denied Thousands Of Families Special
Education.” Back in 2006, Marie LeMay was getting her daughter Jade ready for
first grade in Round Rock, a suburb north of Austin. She still remembers Jade’s
big dream. ---houstonpublicmedia.org, October 16 (Texas) https://is.gd/aYhLq9

53.“Woman Sheds Light on the Plights Of Foster Kids After They Turn 18.”
Turning 18 is a celebratory coming-of-age for most. But for many foster kids, it
means entering toxic group homes or living in the streets .--- ebony.com,
October 19 (Utah) https://is.gd/jTcyPG

54. “Private Schools Offer New Plan For Accepting More Special Education
Students.” Vermont's independent schools say there might be a way to have more
students with disabilities enrolled in their programs. ---
digital.vpr.net,
October 16 (Vermont) https://is.gd/lLvo0N

55. “New autism facility seeks to address need for more treatment options in
central Wis.” Local professionals say more options are needed when it comes to
treatments for kids with autism in central Wisconsin. A recently opened autism
center in Weston is aiming to address that need, --- wsaw.com, October 13
(Wisconsin) https://is.gd/zoMAmL

INTERNATIONAL

56.“Mum claims she was kept in the dark after out of school hours carer
allegedly attacked her autistic son in fast food restaurant.” A distressed
mother says she only discovered an out-of-school-hours care worker repeatedly
kicked her autistic, intellectually disabled son in a fast-food restaurant
because the woman confessed to her – one term later. --- adelaidenow.com.au,
October 14 (Australia) https://is.gd/t3CswL

57.“Call for better autism diagnosis, data for girls.” Girls are at risk
because it takes too long recognise when they have autism, parents say. ---
radionz.co.nz, October 17 (Australia) https://is.gd/zVfEck

59. “Liberals push ahead with new intellectual capacity law, despite
objections.” Despite a chorus of objections to a proposed law governing when
guardians can take over decision-making from intellectually disabled Nova
Scotians, Liberal members have used their majority on a legislature committee to
move Bill 16 along without change. --- cbc.ca, October 16 (Canada) https://is.gd/iT8pkj

60.“Mentally ill patient died while strapped to bed in locked hospital room,
inquest hears.” A Toronto man with mental health issues died while being held in
restraints inside a locked room at St. Joseph's Health Centre, a jury heard at
the start of a coroner's inquest into his death. ---cbc.ca, October 16 (Canada)
https://is.gd/OaxZCd

61. “Legislation to improve accessibility for those with disabilities
planned for spring.” The federal minister responsible for crafting Canada’s
first national accessibility legislation says the law should be ready by next
spring and should benefit not only people with disabilities, but their
caregivers. ---
nationalpost.com,
October 15 (Canada) https://is.gd/Tit4GW

62.“Scalp acupuncture helps autistic children with speech and social
interaction, Hong Kong university study finds.” The study, at Baptist University
in Kowloon Tong, tested a total of 68 autistic children aged between two and 10.
They each received needle treatment, which proved effective in alleviating
problems of impaired social interaction and delayed verbal communication. ---
scmp.com, October 16 (China) https://is.gd/v183O5

63.“Immigration NZ to deport disabled man back to Fiji on health grounds.” A
father fears his intellectually disabled son will die when he is forced to
return to Fiji. ---stuff.co.nz, October 18 (Fiji) https://is.gd/QjJYF9

65.“€700m stolen from vulnerable adults each year - often by family
members.” Hundreds of vulnerable people are being financially abused, typically
by close family members. ---independent.ie, October 16 (Ireland) https://is.gd/3sh62y

67.“Excluding people with disabilities makes Church 'incomplete'.” A leading
expert on faith and disabilities has said that people with disabilities are an
essential aspect of the Church's life and mission, and that parishes which
exclude them are “incomplete.” ---catholicnewsagency.com, October 19 (Italy)
https://is.gd/mKrbO3

68. “More women with disabilities seeking help over domestic violence.” The
number of requests for consultations over domestic violence filed by women with
disabilities grew over 30 percent between fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2016, roughly
eight times faster than the figure among women without disabilities, the
Mainichi Shimbun has learned. --- mainichi.jp, October 15 (Japan) https://is.gd/3r9iWy

69.“Mexico: Mental Health Bill Undermines Disability Rights.” Mexico’s
Congressional Mental Health and Drug Commission is considering a national mental
health bill that proposes to improve mental health services for all in Mexico
but would seriously jeopardize the rights of people with disabilities,
Human Rights Watch said today. ---hrw.org, October 17 (Mexico) https://is.gd/g0psES

70. “50 psychiatric patients abandoned in Aro hospital.” At least 50
patients of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, have been abandoned by
their families and relatives the institution’s authorities revealed. ---
premiumtimesng.com, October 15 (Nigeria) https://is.gd/aFRHYR

71.“We Must End The ‘Sex For Rent’ Exploitation Of Vulnerable People Unable
To Afford To Live.” At SNP conference a motion was unanimously passed condemning
“sex for rent” and instructing the Scottish government to legislate to tackle
it. I was pleased to speak in favour of the motion and propose an amendment to
strengthen it by acknowledging it as part of a wider trend towards increasing
levels of commercial sexual exploitation. ---huffingtonpost.co.uk, October 16
(Scotland) https://is.gd/XwLZbV

72. “Initiative to help special needs students discover job interests to be
scaled up.” An initiative to expose special education (Sped) school students to
various job roles and workplaces will soon be scaled up to reach more students.
--- straitstimes.com, October 14 (Singapore) https://is.gd/13s6ZG

73.“6 people arrested for alleged rape of mentally handicapped young girl.”
In the case of the blood-freezing incident in the Sandıklı district of
Afyonkarahisar, allegedly raped a 17-year-old mentally handicapped young girl,
--- turkeytelegraph.com, October 13 (Turkey) https://is.gd/UKQxTw

74.“Essex special needs testing service is suspended.” Vulnerable children
are at risk of ending up in the wrong type of school because a special needs
testing service has been suspended, it has emerged. --- bbc.com, October 13 (UK)
https://is.gd/Qa5bTf

75.“The civil service has a problem with the way it treats disabled staff
like me.” I’m not surprised by the way the government treats people with
disabilities – you only need to look at how poorly it treats its own disabled
staff, like me. There simply isn’t the disability awareness we need from senior
management and no concerted effort to address that. --- theguardian.com, October
14 (UK) https://is.gd/rX7QHt

76.“MPs urge action on lengthy wait for autism diagnosis.” Parents of
children with suspected autism are having to wait at least 44 months for
diagnoses, prompting a cross-party group of more than 140 MPs to write to the
health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, demanding urgent action. --- theguardian.com,
October 14 (UK) https://is.gd/De1CyL

77.“Fathers with learning disabilities 'left out of support,' study finds.”
Fathers with learning disabilities are often let down by statutory services,
which neglect to support them around parenting or focus only on mothers, a study
has found. ---medicalxpress.com, October 19 (UK) https://is.gd/uyKqza

MISCELLANEOUS

78.“JFK’s other civil rights effort: protecting the rights of people with
intellectual disabilities.” President John F. Kennedy, whose centennial is being
marked this year throughout the Boston area and the U.S., is remembered for many
contributions he made in just over 1,000 days in office: the space program, the
resolution of the Cuban Missile crisis, his efforts to support civil rights for
African-Americans. Less well-known is Kennedy’s contribution to the civil rights
of people with intellectual disabilities. --- brandeis.edu, October 18 https://is.gd/oLrvCI

79.“As people with disabilities we shouldn't be denied access to assisted
dying.” Planning your death is difficult for most people – and it is no
different for people with a disability. Like everyone else, we wish for a safe,
peaceful, and compassionate death. ---theguardian.com, October 16 https://is.gd/qC38El

80. “A school for kids with autism copes with fire's physical and emotional
damage.” Among the many buildings destroyed in Northern California wildfires
this week, was a nonprofit private school that serves 125 students who have
autism. --- npr.org, October 14 (California) https://is.gd/L9UhyW